Let's Not Bring Back the Gatekeepers
7 days ago
- #liberalism
- #populism
- #social media
- Social media benefits populism by destroying elite gatekeeping, allowing historically stigmatized ideas to gain a platform.
- Efforts to reintroduce elite gatekeeping on social media are likely to fail and may exacerbate anti-elite resentment.
- The liberal establishment has failed to adapt to the social media era, clinging to outdated norms of avoiding engagement with illiberal ideas.
- Rational persuasion is effective, but the liberal establishment often underestimates its potential due to institutional and cultural barriers.
- Social media's impact on democracy is complex, with both positive and negative consequences, but scapegoating it for all societal problems is misguided.